Zen Beach, a photo from British Columbia, Western

Photographer's Note

This is from a recent weekend trip to Canada's Pacific coast, near Tofino. I had a lot of fun playing in the waves (a good pair of rubber boots is essential), taking long exposures of the water as it came in and went out. I was just trying to catch the mood of the place - relaxing, hypnotic and beautiful. As with any moving subject, the results can be unpredictable, but sometimes you get something that works out perfectly. In this case the wave came up the beach and stopped just short of the rock before retreating back down to the ocean. The foam of the wave did a very nice job of framing the rock and dividing the image, and since I had already set up my tripod and had no idea of where the wave would reach to, I think you could fairly say that it was luck that made this turn out like it did. With all the best equipment and best planning, it still comes down to luck ... being in the right place at the right time.

In case anyone is wondering why I used the D200 instead of my newer D700, the answer is simple - I was afraid to get my new camera wet (and I definitely got surprised by a few waves that day!).

cdmonson, Nelu_Goia, jjcordier, carper, cigdom, luisafonso, josepmarin, chpp, Floydian, ChrisJ, pboehringer, danos, jhm, Selmik, cherryripe, AiresSantos heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

cdmonson (5304) 2009-01-27 18:52

Hi Alvin:

Man, this is a cool shot. I love that light. With that kind of rough sand and the rock, the light and shadows are really dynamic, but combined with that wave, it's almost perfect. This is one of your best beach shots. Very well done.

Clark

kdm078 (44) 2009-01-27 18:56

I've always wanted to play around with long exposures of waves and now I'm even more inspired to do so! This is an awesome photo - you were definitely in the right place at the right time (and I'm sure there was a bit of skill to it too! =P)

The lighting is beautiful, as are the colours.
Loving it.

Cadi

Nelu_Goia (3116) 2009-01-27 19:36

Hello Alvin,
Much,much better than the other one so I don`t even dare a workshop:)
The colors are the same but the composition is way better.Lucky you!:)
Wasn`t it too cold and wet there for you?
Have a great evening!
Nelu

stevesaba (8167) 2009-01-27 20:35

Hi Alvin!
Nice one! After reading your notes I got a better idea what sort of variables you were dealing with. But you timed it nicely....the one second seemed to provide just the right affect with the water retreating, and leaving the foam. The waves in the distance have a great texture. The mist, which I remember is quite prevelant there, shows up nicely. The light on the rock, the foam, and the tips of the waves is perfect. Great work! cheers,
Steve

jjcordier (79299) 2009-01-27 22:18

Alvin
Tout est dit dans le titre! Magnifique composition, parfaite techniquement, aux couleurs splendides.
Amicalement
JJ

danyy (0) 2009-01-27 22:33

Bonjour Alvin,
un format vertical qui convient bien ici. Et comme la photo précédente, un avant plan qui participe à la construction de la profondeur de la photo.
Superbes couleurs et lumières.
Regards.
Daniel.

Rafer (0) 2009-01-27 23:06

Muy atractiva composición...saludos

fallan (1860) 2009-01-28 6:10

The old camera still has some life in it. Very nice shot. The ND filter kept the contrast in perfect balance..

carper (96) 2009-01-28 7:17

another good photo of your hand, Alvin.
good using the wave on the beach and good balance in it and a pleasure to look at. I have to try this. thanks for sharing.
regard jaap

cigdom (2594) 2009-01-28 7:29

Hi Alvin,
I like your long exposure photos.And this one is very nice like your other works.The composition with beautiful colours and soft lightning is simple but quite wonderful.
TFS
Cigdem

luisafonso (862) 2009-01-28 7:44

The picture is nice and your attempts yielded great results. The only thing I would like to be different is the color of the sand, but that you cannot change. I am imagining this same photo with really close to white sand. It would match the light in the upper section. The way it is, it contrasts very much and the peaceful feeling is abruptly broken. The composition is great and the dancing foam really plays well embracing that rock. A b&w (or even color) squared crop of the bottom section would result in a nice abstract work. I like this one Alvin.

Fis2 (171849) 2009-01-28 9:28

Witaj Alvin!
Wonderful light and colors.
Good frame and composition.
I like the effect water.
Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

Dyerco (10185) 2009-01-28 9:36

Wonderful light here Alvin especially on the rock and the surf. It's nice when mother nature cooperates. Excellent composition.
Phil

Bluejeans (64251) 2009-01-28 10:54

Ola Alvin ,
Que linda foto na praia , ficou linda esta pedra em primeiro plano iluminada por tons suaves de luz, gostei da movimentação das ondas, boas cores, parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

zanzi (13690) 2009-01-28 11:42

Hi Alvin
A very simple picture, but the light and colors are great. This gives a beautiful result.
Bravo
Chris

chpp (4283) 2009-01-28 13:17

hi Alvin
spectacular composition
the wave touching the sand, the stone, the warm light. very zen indeed :)
perfect job
TFS
C

marietom (34611) 2009-01-29 0:46

hello Alvin,

Un nouveau paysage superbe, encore plus beau que le précédent, avec son format en hauteur, et ce très beau premier plan.
Bonne journée
marie

Floydian (30970) 2009-01-29 2:19

Hi Alvin,

That rock in front with his darl light on it shines and makes this who image complete. The waves almost touching it, great timing. The 1 sec gave you a blur feeling in to the background that that works very well here and show your good eye in quality and exposure....well done.

Regards,

Henk

ChrisJ (172378) 2009-01-29 2:53

Hi Alvin

Missed this one. Superbly managed backlighting, with a wonderful ambience, from the late afternoon lighting. Good sharpness & framing, with nice motion blur of the waves. Congratulations!

pboehringer (770) 2009-01-29 11:44

Alvin,
this is much better compared to the one that I wrote a critique earlier. Here you have the subject that I was missing in the previous. The low light embracing the rock and the colors on the horizon are simply fantastic.
Peter

danos (110407) 2009-01-29 11:54

Hello Alvin,
nice the sea shot with the waves to be paused with the use of 1 sec.I like the big rock and the foam of the wave that approach it in the foreground,as the side afternoon light that create a shadow on the seashore.Well done.

Regards,Danos

keribar (43841) 2009-01-29 12:35

Hi Alvin,
Looks as if we are experiencing the same situation. I also got some encouragement and decided to show some oictures of Egypt, but I will most probably cool again very shortly.
By the way, here is another image which needs no signature to be identified. The use of a wide-angle, the light and the timing are just too " Cormac " .I appreciate evey detail. A flawless picture for sure - Izzet

jhm (211738) 2009-01-30 4:41

Hello Alvin,

I love the different waves, splendid sea and beach picture
Splendid picture, sharpness and clarity are superb.
Also a wonderful presentation. TFS.

Have a nice weekend,
John.

edal (6804) 2009-01-30 9:02

Hello Alvin,
Thanks for this artistic photo and for mentioning Singh-Ray filters - it's the first time that I hear about it from your camera's specifications.
I wish you a fine weekend,
Anton

Selmik (3641) 2009-01-31 7:17

Hi Alvin,
beautiful,very well managed photo,long exposure did it excellent job together with nice perspective of sunset (sunrise?) colors.Diagonal boundary between land and sea,underlined by the wave, adds much to the overall charming spirit of this beautiful photo.
Many thanks Alvin for this beauty!
Mike :-)

cherryripe (21033) 2009-01-31 11:19

Hi Alvin
Your note about using the D200 instead of the D700 is quite funny. Well Toni has always said that if he buys the D700, he will keep his D300. It can always come in handy in situations such as theses.
I guess you could meditate into a zen state buy listening to the waves. Good high horizon and the nicely placed ROCK ;-)
Regards
Nikki

John_F_Kennedy (43797) 2009-02-02 2:58

What an amazing light. POV with wonderful colour. I like the foggy view in the background. A well composed image.

Best wishes,
Achim

AiresSantos (56155) 2009-02-03 23:30

Hi Alvin
Wonderful POV and colours in this fine composition. Great effect in the water created by the 1 sec of exposure.
Very good photojob
Greetings
Aires

rgarrigus (0) 2009-02-05 9:18

Hi Alvin,

I really am attracted to images that take a simple object like this and turn it into something grandiose. That rock will never be this famous again. So much symbolism here from the pristine sharpness and texture on the foreground sand to the great movement captured by the 1 second exposure.

Cheers!

Bob G.

alexony (67) 2009-08-30 11:16

Très Zen, très jolie, une scène, un spectacle de premier choix.

Anthony

Photo Information

Copyright: Alvin Brown (Cormac) (26565)
Genre: Plaatsen
Medium: Kleur
Date Taken: 2009-01-18
Categories: Natuur
Camera: Nikon D200, 12-24mm F4 ED AF-S Zoom Nikkor, Singh-Ray 3-stop hard edge ND
Belichting: f/13.0, 1 Seconden
Details: Tripod: Yes
More Photo Info: view
Fotoversie: Originele versie
Thema's: My favorite photos [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-01-27 18:43
Favorieten: 3 [Zicht]